Boiler-alarm.



llo. 684,400. Patsntod 0st. I5, |90I. F. Il. ASHLEY.

BUILER LRI-.

(Appusmn am Apr. s1, lm y 9 23 9 .9 V" a a o g n Re /6 www 7 Si UNITEDSTATES PATENT OEEICE.

FRANK M. ASHLEY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

BOILER-ALARM.

4SPECFICATION forming part 0f letters atent N 0. 684,400, dated October15, '1901.

Application filed April 2'7, 1899.

T0 @ZZ zult/0111, it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK M. ASHLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Alarms, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to boiler-alarms; and its object is to provide aboiler-alarm which cannot be removed or tampered with by the attendantor other person except in such manner that it will give evidence ofhaving been tampered with. 1t often happens that where boilers areprovided with devices for indicating the condition of the water in theboiler the attendants thereof endeavor to adjust or interfere with thealarms in such manner that they cannot operate in order that theoperation of the alarm may not call the attention of their superiors tothe fact that they have been remiss in y their duties. I thereforepropose to provide an apparatus which cannot be tampered with without atonce putting the apparatus in such condition that it will be apparentthat it has been tampered with.

A further object of the invention is to provide an alarm which shallcall attention to both abnormally high conditions and abnormally lowconditions of the water in the boiler and shall operate in an accurateand positive manner.

The invention will be more particularly described hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which 1 have illustrated aform which the invention may take in practice.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of a boiler-alarmconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail planview illustrating a method of attaching the cover of the casing to itscylinder. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively detail, side, and front viewsof the pin shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a side View, partly insection, showing the manner of locking the pin in position.

Referring more particularly to the draw- Serial No. 714,690. (No model.)

ings, 1 represents the cylinder of a casing .adapted to contain thealarm apparatus and communicating with the boiler to which the device isto be attached by means of passages 2 3 or 4 5. The cylinder is shown asbeing broken away, in the drawings, to indicate that in practice thecylinder will ordinarily be longer proportionately than the one shown inthe drawings. The wall 6 closes the lower end of the cylinder and may beprovided with a drain-passage 7, normally closed by a suitable valve orother closure. The top 8 of the casing is bolted to the cylinder bymeans of a number of bolts 9 9 or other suitable means. In order thatthis cover may not be removed without proper authorization, 1 propose toprovide at one edge thereof a lip 10, (shown in Fig. 2,) having asemicircular opening 11 therein or an opening of the shape of anydesirable polygon. A similar lip 12, provided with a similar opening 13,is formed on the cylinder 1, and a bolt having a stem 14 of the sameshape as the openings 11 and 13 is adapted to fit into said openings,the end of the bolt being provided with an eye 15, through which a lock16 is adapted to be passed. This will prevent the cover .from beingremoved or from being swung around on the casing after the bolts 9 9,dzzc., have been removed, unless the lock 16 be first unlocked and thebolt 14 be withdrawn. At a suitable placein the cover 8 is cut anopening 17, through which aportion of a body 1S is adapted to pass. Thebody 1S contains a passage 19, leading to awhistle 2O or other suitablealarm, and communication between the interior of the cylinder 1 and thepassage 19 is permitted through a valve 21. 22, adapted to rest againstthe inside of the cover S, and is also provided with a screw thread 23,adapted to be engaged by a similar thread on the inside of a protectingcover 24 for the whistle. The cover may be perforated, as shown in thedrawings, or otherwise suitably arranged to prevent access to thewhistle without interfering with its operation. By screwing down thecover 24 the shoulder 22 will be brought into contact with the in- Thebody 18 is provided with a flange ,key.

ner side of the cover and the body portion 18 will be held tightly inplace. At a suitable point 25 upon the body 18 is fulcrumed a lever 26,carrying at one end a tank 27 and at the other end a weight 28, adaptedto be moved upon the lever to adjust the apparatus. The stem of theValve 2l is also connected with the lever 26 in such manner that thevalve will be operated by the movement of the lever. Atank 29 is alsosuspended upon the lever 26 upon the end thereof opposite to thatcarrying the tank 27. Both of the tanks 27 and 29 normally containwater. For the purpose of conveniently getting at the apparatus in orderto adjust the-same a screw-cap 30 may be provided in the cover andadapted to be unscrewed therefrom. This may, if preferred, be providedwith a lock to prevent access to the valve without proper authorization.

In operation, assuming the water in the boiler to be at a normal level,which will be at some point between the two tanks 27 and 29, the tank 29will be surrounded with water and will therefore not exert anyappreciable pull upon the lever 26. The tank 27, however, being full ofwater and not being surrounded by water will overcome the weight 28 andhold the valve 21 tightly against its seat. If the water rises in theboiler to above its normal level, it will begin to surround the tank 27and the weight of the tank 27 will gradually diminish as the Water risesaround it, thus allowing it to be overcome by the weight 28, which willdraw the valve 2l away from its seat and allow the steam to rush throughpassage 19 into the whistle 20. If the water drops to a point below itsnormal level, it will recede from around the tank 29 and the weight ofthe latter will be gradually thrown upon the lever 26 and overcome theweight of the tank 27, opening the valve 21 and sounding the alarm. Th'eweight of the respective tanks and the weight 28 will of course beadjusted in the devices to conform to individual conditions.

, It will be observed that the only available ways open to the attendantto remove the alarm or interfere with its working will be to unscrew thecover 24 or remove the cover 8. The latter being locked cannot beremoved without the knowledge of the holder of the It will be impossiblefor the attendant to loosen the nuts 9 and swing the cover around, owingto the pin 11. If the cover 24 is unscrewed, the weight of the tankswill immediately pull the body 18, and the alarm, through the opening17, allowing an'escape of steam through the latter opening and placingthe apparatus in such condition that it will be apparent at a glancethat it has been tampered with.

Having thus described my invention, Ideclare that what I claim as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a boiler-alarm, the combination of a casing, an opening thereto,an alarm, an eX- torior protecting-cover for said alarm, and analarm-operating mechanism in said casing suspended through said openingfrom said cover alone, whereby said alarm-operating mechanism will dropfrom its operating position when said cover is removed, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with the alarm, of a protecting-cover for the sameand means for operating said alarm, said means being operative onlywhile held in operative position by said cover and becoming inoperativewhenv said cover is removed, as set forth.

3. The combination of an alarm, a valve controlling the passage of steamthereto, two counterbalanced weights, one of which tends to open saidvalve and the other to close the same, and a third weight tending toopen said valve but normally unable to operate the same, but which upona rise of water beyond the second-named weight becomes sufficientlypowerful to open said valve, substantially as described.

4. The combination of an alarm, a valve controlling the passage of steamthereto, two counterbalanced weights, one of which tends to open saidvalve and the other to close the same, and a third weight, tending toopen said valve but normally inoperative upon the same, but whichbecomes sufficiently powerful to open the same when both of saidfirstnamed weights are submerged, substantially as described.

5. The combination of an alarm, a valve controlling the passage of steamthereto, two counterbalanced weights, one of which tends to open saidvalve and the other to close the same, and a third weight, tending toopen said valve, but of insufficient power to do so except when both ofsaid iirst two named weights are submerged or both uncovered,-substantially as described.

6. In a boiler-alarm, the combination of an alarm, a valve controllingthe passage of steam thereto, a lever balanced intermediate its ends andto which said valve is connected,` a weight connected to one end of saidlever and tending to open said valve, a weight connected to the otherend of said lever and tending to close said valve, and a third weightcarried by said lever and adapted to augment the weight of one of saidfirst-named weights upon an abnormal rise or fall of the water in theboiler, substantially as described.

7. The combination of an alarm, a valve controlling the passage of steamthereto, two counterbalanced weights one of which tends to open saidvalve and the other to close the same, and one of which is normallysubmerged in the water, and a third weight tending to I through saidcover and casing, said bolt havoperate said valve against theunsubmerged ing a polygonal-shaped crosssection and Weight and operativetherefor only when said i locking means for securing said bolt inposiweight becomes submerged, substantially as tion, substantially asdescribed.

5 described. In testimony whereof I have affixed my sigr 5 8. Thecombination of an alarm, of means nature in presence of two Witnesses.for operating the same, a casing Within which FRANK M. ASHLEY.

for said casing, securing means for attaching ro the same to the casing,and a bolt passing O. V. EDWARDS, ALEX. FERGUSON.

said operating means are contained, a cover i Vitnesses:

